I spent most of the flight reading (Public Enemies by Bryan Burrough) and following the Yankees game via ESPN News on the JetBlue television

Mariano Rivera sounds like he’s having his usual late-summer bout of soreness. This is usually a 7-10 day issue that he can pitch through. But as he gets older, you have to wonder whether it becomes harder to overcome. At some point, he’s not going to automatically snap back. But we’re probably not to that point yet.

The Yankees are going to have an interesting few weeks here as they try and manipulate their pitching staff. It’ll get much easier once the rosters expand, but for now Joe Girardi and Co. might have to suffer through some tough nights knowing it’ll pay off down the road.

Personally, I was glad to see the Yankees shed some light on how they’ll handle Joba Chamberlain. The secrecy of their plan had led to fans and even some in the media wildly speculating that he would return to the bullpen or be shut down, etc. It’s really not complicated: they’ll simply cut down on his starts. It makes good sense, too.

A couple of tidbits:

• The Yankees have no interest in Mark Mulder according to Brian Cashman.

• You can also forget about any Cuban defectors showing up any time soon to aid the cause. Those players are 2010 options, if they are options at all.

• Waiver trades could pick up shortly as more teams realize they’re not making the playoffs.

That’s it for now. Yankees-Mariners start a four-game set tomorrow night. Plenty of blogging all day.